Onward to today’s fat-shaming ridiculousness. There is a new game on Kickstarter called Hey There Fatty! It comes packaged in a stereotypical Chinese food delivery container complete with a fat-shaming fortune cookie. The game just won DreamHack 2017’s Best Multiplayer Experience Award, which is a shame because it’s a terrible, fat-shaming disaster.
According to the game’s description, Hey There Fatty! is “a game unlike any you have played before. By counting calories, going to the gym, and yes, even hosting a potluck, you can strategize to beat your friends and family. Or if sabotage is more your style, go for it! Just don’t end up a fatty!”
Look, the idea that fatphobia is the “last acceptable prejudice” is complete crap. Racism, homophobia, transphobia, classism, ageism, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and more run rampant. But fatphobia is one of the prejudices that people still seem to find completely acceptable.
The creators of Hey There Fatty! claim to have worked on this game for over three years. They dedicated time and energy for three years toward creating a game that has the express purpose of fat shaming and is based entirely on stereotypes about fat people.
In case you needed a reminder that internalized oppression is a thing, the creators have claimed that they are “overweight,” that they’ve played it with “overweight” friends, and that everyone thinks it’s hilarious.
Let’s be honest here — the game is not even clever. It’s hardly “unlike any you have played before” if you are someone who has been stuck on the diet roller coaster, been fat-shamed(supposedly) “for your health,” or had every bit of their food intake scrutinized and commented on by family and friends.
Speaking of food scrutiny, with cards for binging, over-exercising, and a goal of food restriction, this game could just as easily be called Hey There Eating Disorder!
The fat shaming is bad enough, but the connection between this kind of fat shaming and eating disorders is real and dangerous.
If you find this game inappropriate you can report it by logging into kickstarter, going to http://ift.tt/2zEGfp6 Scroll all the way to the bottom and click the “report” button.
To read the rest of this piece, click here!
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Book and Dance Class Sale! I’m on a journey to complete an IRONMAN triathlon, and I’m having a sale on all my books, DVDs, and digital downloads to help pay for it. You get books and dance classes, I get spandex clothes and bike parts. Everybody wins! If you want, you can check it out here!
Book Me! I’d love to speak to your organization. You can get more information here or just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org!
If you are uncomfortable with my selling things on this site, you are invited to check out this post.
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